Episode 78: Strange Things in Strange Places – Poison Dart Frogs, Navalny and Epibatidine

This week on The Tox Lab, we’re discussing poison dart frogs and the alkaloid epibatidine.We begin by examining recent reports surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny and the suggestion that epibatidine may have been involved.We then discuss poison dart frogs and the toxins found within them, including the discovery and isolation of epibatidine. From there, we explore its potent analgesic properties, how it acts at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and what makes it both pharmacologically interesting and highly toxic.Finally, we examine attempts to develop epibatidine analogues as novel analgesics and explore the evolutionary question of how poison dart frogs themselves avoid poisoning.Join us as we examine the pharmacology, toxicity, and evolving story surrounding epibatidine, and consider how a toxin derived from poison dart frogs became linked to drug development, toxicology, and international headlines.Hope you enjoy!Links to the papers we discussed:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-the-uk-sweden-france-germany-and-the-netherlands-on-alexei-navalnys-deathhttps://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2000/np/a900728h https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.aan5061 Check out our new website: https://thetoxlab.co.uk/Disclaimer: All opinions are our own.Find us on instagram: @the_tox_labEmail us here: [email protected] us here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thetoxlab